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I Love a Good List

January 10, 2011

It’s the second week of 2011—isn’t it about time for a good list? And I mean, a good one, full of simple pleasures and joys.

A few years ago, I compiled a list of “100 Things I Love” as an exercise in something self-help-y I was reading at the time. If I recall correctly, I was to pull it out when feeling a little blue, just to remind myself of how many things there are to love in my life.

When you have to make a list of 100 things, some interesting items appear. Alongside the expected—family, friends, chocolate, libraries, horses and books—appeared the more unusual:

Mahjong Titans (a game I play on my computer)
Yellowstone (we visited a couple of years ago and I'm dying to go back)

Yellowstone--did I mention we were there in June?

Shoes (you don’t have to take your clothes off to try on shoes)
The smell of leather (mmmmm).

Possum--I love lavender and curling up with a good book, too. Swimming in the ocean every day? I'm not a great swimmer, so that's a little intimidating, but I bet it's great exercise and wonderful for your peace of mind.

Kathy--My mom doesn't like wind, either! She lived in San Francisco for a while before I was born and hated the wind there. I've always liked it, but never lived any place where it blew so much that it got on my nerves.

I'd definitely have "silence" or "solitude" on my list--I like quiet, but then I sometimes think there is far too much noise in the world. I also like the seaside and crashing waves. Just thinking of those things makes me happy. :)

- Birds singing- The sound of wind blowing through pine trees- Walks on the beach- Movies I love...to be watched while snuggled in a blanket with my cat in my lap- Dancing- The warmth of an electric blanket on a cold winter night- knitting

and lots more. Thanks for this post... made me feel good just thinking about these good things in our lives.

Danielle--Solitude is big for me, too. My husband and I both work at home and we have a 16-year-old son, so I feel like I am hardly ever alone and I long for it. Even if I go someplace in the house where my family is not, I'm still aware of their energy, for want of a better term.

I think the purpose of the original exercise was to help identify how much good we have in our lives--and help us feel happier about them. I'm glad it made you happy to think of your loved things.

Teresa--Great additions! After thinking about this post and the comments from readers, I realize how much of our daily lives is so good--it's when we get caught up in the shoulds and the what ifs that we run into trouble.

Maryann--Lots of great additions to the list! And I'm so glad you like the blog. I made my "love" list before I had the blog, but if I were compiling it now, I'd have to add, "connecting with old and new friends via the blog."